Automatic cameba-operator



F. B. DOTSON.

AUTOMATIC CAMERA OPERATOR.

Aerucmon men ma. lo. me.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

rmx B. 'iioa'isoirl or nonna?, Inmo.

AUTOMATIC CAMERA-OPERATOR.

Specication o! Letter: Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Application led February 10, 1916. Serial No. 77,475.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that =I,FnA-NK B. Do'x'uoN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Burley, in the county of Cassia and tate of Idaho, have invented a new and' useful Camera Deviceto wit, an Automatic Camera-O crater-of which the following is a speci cation.

The object of this inventionis-toautomatically operate cameras andkodaks, by pressing or in some other manner working the lever or other device used to'trip the shutter in making the exposure. This" device, when properly attached to or built into the camera, will operate the camera without the physical aid of any person, at the instant of exposure. Thus the necessity of a person being at or near the camera at the instant the picture is taken is eliminated. The particular object, then, of this invention is to enable a person to operate his cameraY o1' kodak when at a distance from the same, thus enabling the person in charge'of `the camera or kodak to take his own picture.

I attain the object `oi this invention by the means of the device and mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the entire automatic operator, equipped with an expansion coil spring, showing the piston practically at the bottom ofthe air chamber; Fig. Q, a vertical section same as Fig. 1, except that the piston is raised to its extreme height., and held by means of notch o'in the piston rod, hooked on the edge of the piston rod opening '5, in the lid la; Fig. 3, a verticai Section showing the position of the pis` ton after the piston rod has been released from its rest at z', and showing the pistn reresting upon the compressed air in the chamber beneath; Fig. 4 is a carrying oase so devised and 4constructed as -to facllitate the attachment of the operator to the camera, and thus used is a part of the cameraoperator and a portion of this invention; Figs. 5 and 6 are each, respectively, a side view and a top view of hook used for contact with trigger of the camera shutter, designated below as E; Fig. 7 is a top view of the camera-operator e uipped with a, combined attachment suitab e for either direct contact with the shutter trigger or attachment to a wire cable release; Fig. 8 is a top view of the combined attachment dev vice with p, suitable for. attachment to a wire cable release, and m, a hook for direct contact with the shutter trigger; Fig. 9 shows the automatic operator attached to wire ca ble release so as to operate the camera; Flg. -10 shows the automatic operator attached 'tothe camera so as to operate the camera bymeansof direct contact with the shutter trigger.

Similar='letters refer to similar parts throughout'the several views.

This invention is made up of seven particular parts or combination of parts, designated in the accompanying drawings as A, B, C, D, E and E', in Fig. 4.

Part A is a c lindrical tube, composed of metal or other liard material. with the contour smooth, closed airtightvat its bottom and with a removable cap at the top.; B is an air plunger and includes lhe piston rod, piston and all parts of the plunger head; C 1s an expanding coil spring which produces the required operating power; D is a needle air valve; E is hook or device which makes contact with the shutter lever or trigger, or attaches to the wire cable release, and thus transmits the motive power of the operator to the mechanism which operates the shutter; E is a hook or device whichA fastens the body of the operator to some stationary part of the camera; Fig. 4 is the case or covering for the operator, thebottom part of which is slidably mounted about the lower half of tube A, thus providing a movable rest forE.

The tube A is similar inform and material to that of a small hand air pump. It is airtight at one end and has a removable cap at the other end. The said cap has a cutout or opening in its center through which the piston rod operates. The inside surface of tube A must be perfectly smooth.

The plunger, B, is slidably mounted in tube A so that 'the piston rod operates through the opening z' in cap k. The said plunger, including piston rod, piston, leather washer and other parts of the plunger, are similar to the plunger and its parts in a small hand airump. The piston rod should be hollow an should be of suiicient length to project one-half inch,`more or less, above cap la when the plunger head rests on the bottom of tube A, and should have the notch or shoulder o to hook or rest on t-he edge of opening e' when the plunger is raised to its extreme height. The leather washer mentioned is similar to thut oi the said air pump and is so shapcdrund inserted that air cannot escape :wound its edges from beneath when the piston rod is released from its rest at z'.

',lhe needle valve2 D, is for the escape of :tir -beneaththe plunger. It is inserted in the hollow of the piston rod, wllrch hollow at all times connects with the air chamber beneath he plunger. However, if desired, the valve .muy he et the bottom of tui-be' A, thus pennitting the use of la. solid piston rod instead of the hollow lAbout thc valve is e dial und an indicator to :mid in theaooumte operation of the velue, as .is shown in 7.

The purpose o the' jxtllgfjspifmg, C, is to produce the require openaftmg power. 'lhis'apring is inseited about the piston rod so thut one end aigeges the piston and `the other end engages the ins-ide surface of oa Y :mit E is the device used to, ine-loe minet with the lever or tr'iggier'of the camel-,a slant ter, or to attach the opemtor to the wire cable release. 1t is the device used to attach or transmit the motive force of the mutonmtie opeuetor to the meelmmism of the camere, which operates the shutter. This device muy he either of tlu'ee dieent forms us follows: n one prong hookxts used in Fig. 10, a, two, pti-ong device .as used in Fig`- 9, or n device hav-ing the 0D@ prong hoo :md the two ploeg-devine combined als shown in Figs. 7 `and 8. The one'pnong Ihoolt is used when only direct omtacx, with the Shut ter trigger is desired. The two pnong device is used when attachment to the wire cable release only is desined. The combined device with hook und two innings is used when one desires to melee either direct contact, as shown in Fig. l0, o r attachment to the wire cable release., as shownn Fig. 9. In either instance the device is adjusted about the piston rod e, above w49 ic., hy means of a set-screw n so that .its position may be readily vchanged lby sliding it up or down smid rod.

E is a. .resilient hook or clamp need to :tt-tach the body or cylinder of 'the operator to the namen.. This clump is situated at the bottom or elidobly nmnnbed portion of the cane o1' cover represented by Fig. 4 as is shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. i in the portion of this invention used nts uY oase or covering for the operator, and for the further purpose of aiding in the nttnchment of the operator to the This case or oofver is metallic, cvlindrial in shape, and of Size to neatly lit `,about the body ofthe opera-toi'. It is made up of two pieces or parte of about equal length which fit together in telescopic fashion, thus forming the inclosuie. The bottom ortion of this oase is mounted in telescopic fashion about the bottom portion of the oper-ulm' und is held in position by means of u set-screw c which is ineeited through slots d in the side .0f Said bottom portion of the case, as illustrated in Fig. 10. The said set-screw enters u smell ta.) nt the bottom of the operator, und byslg tly loosening und tightening the same the bQttQm portion of the seid use may be moved u distance equal to the length of the slot, thuoproydng e mezuzs of exuxld adjusting the .reach of clump E. This adjustment is made necessary because the distume from the lever g to the point'where E is desired to be attached di ffeifs on the various kinds of cameras. Both endsof tlte'case are closed.

This invention muy Abe opemled in the .following .nimmer Close the vulve D; lift the plunger until notch o is ewan with the top ot cup In; tono porci-ily hold plunger in thisl ruis-.ed position by resting shoulder on die plunger :rod fonned by notch o, on the cui la at i; relu-isc, the plunger nod from the temporary rest itt i; @tta/l1 the operator to the cannoni, hy E direct contact as shown in Fig. 10 o1'. b5' use of the were cable release :is shown in Fig. i). when .all of seid steps lnwe bern tal-ken the Objeots 0f View should bc determined und the camera foons' und otherl details iii-ranged. and when this is done the .sci-.env a, should he turned until the pointer 4l' reno-lies :i position on the dial b, which position hnsV been determined by prior experience. so -tlntt the Valve will be opened'only enough lo ipermit the desined period of time to clapet- .until the exposure is 'made When thc valve lia-s been adjusted so :as to the plunger in motion the person in elmrge of flic eiwacra is aft liberty to take u. ponsition so that hc shell be inthe picture thus mudo. .Utter the exposune is made .the Aoperator should be iemoved befone aiiangeulcazi mudo for nnotlaer exposure.

When the plunger is 'raised the un pussies l'ietween ythe edhfnes of the leather washer and the interior wl-ulls of tube A to the chdmfber beneath .the plunger head. The opening: i' in oep lc permits nir to pass into and ont of the chamber above the piston. When the plunger rod is 'cleased from its rest et i the leather washer prevents the escupe of the uirheneath when the coil springY C forces the plunger downward, thus forniing en air cushion upon which the plun erhad msts. When the air is permi to escape through the valve D the plunger is forced gently to the bottom of the chamber, causing no jur whatever. In melting direct contact as illustrated in Fig. 10 it is usually neeessary .to ille asmall notch in the lever rf at the whone E engages g. By means of clamp E the body or cylinder of the operator islield in a stationary position so as to permit the slidably mounted plunger rod lo draw the lever y downward. The operator is attached to the wire cable release, as illustrated in Fig. 9, by forcing the enlarged part of the cable release, through which the pushpin works, between the two resilient prongs of E in such a manner that the head et' the pushpin of the cable release engages the top surface of cap c. The said resilient prongs of E are the same as those marked or desi rnated p in Figs. 7 and 8. E is slidably i justed in the desired position by means of the set-screw n. Thus attached it can be readily seen that when the plunger rod draws the member E downward the cable release is o erated with the same result as if operated y hand.

From the foregoing description and explanation, in connection with the accompanying drawing, the person skilled in the art or science of operating cameras can easily see the advantages of this invention. Merely the principles of operation and the general features of construction are described and explained herein.' It must be understood that the details of construction and arrangement of the various parts may be altered as practical conditions demand so long as kept within the scope of my claims.

I claim l. In a device of the character described for automatically operating cameras, the combination of a tube or cylinder having closed ends, a piston slidably mounted in s'aid cylinder, a plunger-rod extending from said piston through the top end or head of said cylinder, a notch or cross groove in said plunger-rod forming a hook or shoulder adapted to engage or rest upon the head of said cylinder and releasably hold said piston 'm a raised position, and a coil spring as a. means for returning the piston to its normal position, a device slidably adjusted about the neck of said plunger-rod as a means of Contact with or of attachment to the operate ing member of the camera shutter, a needle air valve connecting with the bottom of the chamber in said cylinder as a means of releasing the air from said chamber beneath said piston, a cylindrical metallic receptacle closed at one end telescopically seated about said cylinder' so as to envelop the bottom portion thereof and so as to be ixedly ex tended from or contracted toward the bottom of said cylinder, a metallic cap or lid removably seated about the top of said receptacle so as to inclose all members which project above said cylinder head, substantially as illustrated and set out in the specification and accompanying drawin 2. In a device of the character escribed for automatically o erating cameras, the combination of a tu e or c linder having closed ends, a piston slidab y mounted in said cylinder, a plunger-rod extending from said piston through the top end or head of said cylinder', a, notch or cross groove in said plunger-rod forming a hook or shoulder adapted to engage or rest upon the head of said cylinder and releasably hold said piston in a raised position, a coil spring as means for returning the piston to its normal position, a device slidably adjusted about the neck of said plunger-rod as a means of contact with or of attachment to the operating member 0f the camera shutter, a needle air valve connected with the bottom of the chamber in said cylinder as a means of releasing the air from said chamber beneath said piston, a cylindrical metallic receptacle closed at 011e end telescopically seated about said cylinder so as to envelop the bottom portion thereof and so as to be ixedly extended from or contracted toward the bottoni of said cylinder, a metallic cap or lid removably seated about the top of said receptacle so as to inclose all lmembers which project above said cylinder head, and a Clamp or hook attached to said metallic receptacle adapted to connect with and fasten to the body or frame of the camera, substantially as described in the specification. In witness whereof l affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses` FRANK B. DOTSON. Titnesses HENRY D. KELLY, LonnNzo B. THOMPSON. 

